Rising health insurance rates have become a major issue in the U.S. For months, legislators from several states have been struggling with insurance companies in an effort to lower rates and stop steep rate hikes. Insurers argue that they must raise their rates – some going so far as to raise their rates by 40% — in order to stay competitive in the market. The soaring cost of medical procedures and care is one of the major contributors to rate increases, according to insurers. The issue has gotten the attention…
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Cat bonds still steady even with major disasters
After the devastation in Japan two months ago, investors were keeping a watchful eye on the stock and bond market. It appears though, that the catastrophe bond (CAT bonds) division has been holding strong. Analysts and brokers have commented that no drastic price decreases or large spreads have occurred to cause them to be worried. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan were what investors are calling the biggest adversity to happen since the financial woes of the Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy. The catastrophe bond sector is still strong…
Read MoreInsurance companies hit hard by recent storm losses
The recent outbreak of severe storms last month has added up to a massive bill for insurers. The severe storms and tornado’s in April has been called the second deadliest outbreak in U.S. history; falling barely short of the record Tri-State tornado outbreak in 1925. Insurance companies across the board are reporting high losses, such as Allstate, with a whopping 1.4 billion dollar loss; just for the month of April. Several insurance companies are reporting big losses for April, due to the historic weather events all through the southern states.…
Read MoreExperts claim catastrophe risk modeling needs to change
The property and casualty insurance business isn’t what it used to be. Traditional methods of deciding risk management worked well in its time. According to the managing director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Process Center (WRMDPC) in Pennsylvania, the time has come where changing the way the industry calculates risk is essential to its survival. In the property and casualty sector, the traditional notion was that catastrophic events only occurred about every 25 years or so. It also counted on the fact that the risks were, for the…
Read MoreFinancial News: Insurance industry becomes more attractive
The global economy is showing promising signs of recovery, but the recession took a heavy toll on nearly everyone. State governments, in particular, suffered in the wake of the economic calamity. In light of this, some are taking steps to remake themselves to be more attractive to businesses, specifically insurers. Vermont is the latest to join these ranks, joining Utah, South Carolina, Delaware and Hawaii, each making changes to their regulatory policies to bring in big insurers. Many insurance companies partake in a number of business transactions that they would…
Read MoreChecking the insurance market temperature
A recent survey shows that first quarter property and casualty (commercial) rates have fallen another three percent, on average, for most renewals and small to medium business renewals. Most experts believe that it’s still too early to tell if this is due to the disasters in Japan and other countries earlier this year, or if there is another market influence taking place. The slowdown in decreasing rates may be an indicator that prices will start to level off. There have been some slight increases, more noticeable in larger businesses, commercial…
Read MoreSurvey shows top concerns for future world commerce
Over one thousand business CEO’s from around the globe put their two cents worth in on a recent survey. The results of the survey were released at the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) convention that was held in Vancouver. Corporate experts from 58 countries weighed in on their top business concerns for this year. The survey, given by Aon Risk Solutions proved that economics is mutually dependent on various risk factors; whether it’s in the U.S. or another country on the other side of the globe. Most business professionals…
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